The best self-help books to change your life

It is always good to read, regardless of the topic, because you can let your imagination fly and learn about something in particular. In the case of self-help books, They serve to be better people, to be able to overcome a romantic breakup, be more successful in a business, learn to forgive or say what we feel, etc.

While some titles are “classics” in the area of ​​self-help and explain steps to follow, ask you questions or tell you how to act, others are a story with a moral (or several), to use as a source of inspiration.

They are not at all complicated to read nor extensive, but the good thing is that They contain a very powerful and profound message, which does not need to be embellished because it is direct and simple. The teachings of these books will cause a change in your vision of life and the world, the way you face each situation and how to get out of problems successfully.

If you’ve read them before, you can enjoy them again. Experts say that the same title read several times in life gives us new experiences and perspectivesbecause we are not the same today as we were two years ago or five years from now.

The best self-help books you should read

1 – Who has taken my cheese? (Who moved my cheese in English): “A surprising way to deal with change at work and in your private life” is the subtitle chosen by Spencer Johnson, the author. It is written in parable style and tells the story of two mice and their search for cheese. It describes the four typical reactions of a person to a problem or situation, that is, resisting for fear of something worse, detecting change early, learning to adapt or rushing to action. It was launched in 1998 and It is a simple but at the same time devastating analysis of the changes and problems, but above all, how to face them.

2 – The knight in the rusty armor (The Knight in Rusty Armor in English) is a self-help novel written by Robert Fisher, with some humorous as well as motivational elements. It is a book that can be read from youth to old age and reflects the process of change in a person who cannot express his or her feelings. The protagonist is an egocentric gentleman who does not understand or value what he possesses, he neglects the people and things that surround him. He becomes more and more encased in his armor until he rusts and cannot remove it. He sets out on a journey along the path of truth to three castles. Explains the importance of opening yourself to the world and saying what you feel.
3 – Man’s Search for Meaning (Trotzdem Ja zum Leben sagen. Ein Psychologe erlebt das Konzentrationslager in German): is a psychology book written by an Austrian psychiatrist named Viktor Frankl and published in 1946. It recounts personal experiences and the history of the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Second World War, but seen from within. It is divided into two parts, which try to answer the question: how does daily life in a concentration camp affect the mind, the psychology of the average prisoner? It tries to understand the psychological changes of the prisoners, but at the same time it is an ode to hope and valuing life.

4 – The little Prince (The Little Prince in French): is the best-known novel by the writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, published in 1943. It is a story with watercolor illustrations where a pilot who is lost in the Sahara after an accident with his plane meets a little prince who comes from another planet. Philosophical themes and social criticism about how adults see things are included. Although it is considered a children’s book, it has very profound observations about the life and nature of man, such as in the meeting between the little prince and the fox, where you can read the best-known phrase from the book: “It only looks good with the heart. The essential is invisible to the eyes”. It invites reflection on love, human relationships and the loss of things that are really important in life.

5 – The diving suit and the butterfly (The scaphandre and the Papillon in French), is a story that was made into a film, written by Jean Dominique Bauby. Although it is not a full-fledged self-help book, it is an autobiography that tells the story of the writer, without resorting to “cheesy” but rather an objective and hard story, as well as shocking. When Bauby suffers, at age 43, from a massive embolism, he spends three weeks in a coma. Upon leaving this box, he discovers that his body is totally paralyzed and he cannot move, speak, eat or breathe without being assisted. His mind works smoothly but he can’t communicate it to anyone. He can only barely move his left eyelid.. In this “new world” he controls only two things: memory and imagination. It helps us value our lives much more and enjoy the small details of every day.